A former Cox Communications executive was sentenced to federal prison this week for embezzling more than $2 million from the company.
Janet West, 49, was sentenced to two years and one month in prison to be followed by three years of supervised released. West was a vice president at the Phoenix office of Cox Communications, the cable and broadband internet subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, which also owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We take violations of company ethics policies and criminal matters very seriously and have fully cooperated with law enforcement,” company spokesman Todd Smith said.
According to information released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, West was in charge of a nationwide marketing plan to bring gigabit speed internet to markets throughout the United States. Starting in 2011, she directed her assistant to use her corporate credit card to pay a third-party company for “supposed marketing services.”
“In reality,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, “a significant portion of the marketing services never occurred and the majority of the payments for the services were covertly transferred back to [West].”
West, who pleaded guilty in November, reportedly received about $2.4 million in payments. She used the money “to fund her own lifestyle, including paying for two houses she owned,” U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said in a news release.
In addition to her prison sentence, West was order to forfeit her interest in those homes and to pay full restitution.
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